Handcrafted in Longford, Irish Grown Beds is on a mission to build bedframes that are ethical, sustainable and lasting.
They say a clean conscious is the softest pillow. Led by furniture entrepreneurs Eoin McGuinness, founder of CRANN, and Michael Connelly, founder of FirstChoice Wardrobes and Kitchens, Irish Grown Beds is all about making bedframes that allow you to rest easy.
“We are trying to address a very limited number of sustainable and handmade bedframes that are made in Ireland at a price point that is actually affordable to everyone,” McGuinness explains.
“All our products are made in our factory in Longford. As we make our products from certified Sustainable Bamboo and Irish pine we can stand by the standards and working conditions”
They believe that mass production and unethical conditions make it hard to buy furniture that fits people’s values and wants as a consumer.
“We appreciate that this is a growing market so the market size is small but loyal in Ireland. Based on our research it has a potential size of about 470,000 but the market segment is much larger in more developed countries like the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany which is where we intend to expand in the coming years.”
They don’t have wooden hearts
Irish Grown Beds manufacture handmade bed frames using a mix of traditional and modern practices to make high-quality long-lasting bedframes from quality wood.
“All our products are made in our factory in Longford. As we make our products from certified Sustainable Bamboo and Irish pine we can stand by the standards and working conditions.
“We also offer a 9-year warranty on our bedframes. We want to make items that last!”
Home grown
The company was founded by Michael Connelly successful furniture businessman who operated First Choice Wardrobes and Kitchens along with Eoin McGuinness, sustainable entrepreneur of CRANN.
“What encourages me to be an entrepreneur is finding a problem and fixing it in a sustainable way,” McGuinness explains.
“I think the world needs fewer products and more qualify and finding a way to achieve that is the reason I get up in the morning and why I’m so passionate about business.”
McGuinness believes Ireland is improving as a location to build businesses. “I think it’s becoming bigger and brighter each year. It’s great to see more companies looking at the less sexy industries which have a great potential for growth.
“I love that Ireland is a leader in the start-up support space with Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. It gives me such confidence in the overall ecosystem and the shared learning it offers.”
McGuinness said that the business is currently raising funding at a pre-seed level and through the various grant programmes available. “But are always open to like-minded investors.”
Know your customer
McGuinness says use of cloud technologies helps the start-up team stay lean and agile. “Tools used by the business include Shopify for our content management system, Google Analytics, HubSpot CRM/Sales/Marketing/Project Management and Buunto for order calendar.”
He believes the most important quality founders need is an innate understanding of the market they are targeting.
“Knowing your market – not everyone is a fit for our product so being extremely clear on who and why a client would need/want our product. Understanding this has made us super lean and has helped us to build a business that can actually scale profitably.”
His advice to fellow founders? “Know your customer before you create a product/service. It’s the most affordable way to grow your business.”
Main image at top: Irish Grown founders Michael Connelly and Eoin McGuinness
